Cigarette holder



Jan. 14,' 1941.

F. BuRcHELL CIGARETTE HOLDER f Filed May 9, 1938 W Mm BY 6AM gomATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 14, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to la new and improved cigarette holder, and hasfor its object the provision of a device of the character describedwhich may be readily assembled and cheaply manufactured.

An object of the invention is to provide a cigarette holder adapted toreceive a lter element, such for example as a cigarette or filtercartridge, through which smoke from the burning cigarette carried by theholder must be drawn.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of thecharacter described wherein means are provided for readily ejecting thestub or butt portion of the smoked cigarette.

Other objects of the invention are the provision of such means wherebythe filter cartridge acts as the plunger for ejecting the smokedcigarette, and whereby ejection may be secured by a half turn orrotation through a relatively slight angle 20 of one portion of theholder with respect to the remainder of the holder, accompanied lbyrelative movement along the axis of the holder of the end portionthereof with respect to the main body thereof.

Other objects of the inven'tion will in part be obvious and will in partappear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises an article of manufacture possessingthe features, properties, and the relation of elements which will beexemplified in the article hereinafter described and the scope of theapplication of which will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention,reference should be had t0 the following detailed description, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

F-igure 1 is a view partly in section of a device embodying one form ofthe invent-ion;

Fig. 2 is a view in elevation of the device shown in Fig. 1 withelements thereof separated for clarity;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l of a modied form of the invention;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 of the structure shown in Fig. 3 withelements in different position, and with portions broken away;

Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 2 of the device shown in Figs. 3 and 4Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of a still further modiiication ofthe invention; and

Fig. 7 is a view in elevation of the device shown in Fig. 6 with aportion broken away.

There has heretofore been on the market a cigarette holder of a typeemploying an unused cigarette, or similar element, as a lilterpositioned between the mouthpiece of the holder and that portion thereofadapted to receive a cigarette to be ignited. Holders of this type havebeen generally of the form showin in Fig. 1, and have comprised a maincylindrical body portion Ii and a detachable mouthpiece I f2. The bodyportion has been of a shape and size adapted to receive and hold snugly,lagainst motion relative thereto, a

cigarette I4 or filter cartridge of the same genin abutting relationshipwith the filter cigarette I4. v

In such devices, when the cigarette I 6 has been almost completelyconsumed, there remains -a butt or stub which is frequently difcult toremove. vThis invention contemplates the provision of means for theready ejection of the butt or stub ofthe smoked cigarette from theholder.

In one form of the invention, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the bodyportion of the holder II) may terminate, as at i8, short of the end ofthe iilter cartridge I4. This portion of the element I0 may, as i-sshown clearly in Fig. 2, comprise a thickened wall provided with a sloty22 forming a cam surface 2i. It is to be Aunderstood that the portion2li may be provided with a plurality of such slots and cam surfaces, ifdesired.

The cigarette to be smoked, I 6, is held in a suitably yshaped element26, to which there may be affixed an extending sleeve 28 provided withlugs or detents 30 adapted to engage the slots 22 on the surface of theelement lli. The sleeve 28 may be inwardly crimped, as at 32, and thiscrimped portion may be adapted to engage the abutment 34 formed by thethickened portion 20 of the element Ill.

When the element 26 and its extending sleeve 2'8 are in position aboutthe end of the element I-I, as shown for example in Fig. 1, the detentsSli, sliding in the grooves 2'2, permit movement of the element 26axially along the element It). 'Ihe extent of `movement inwardly iscontrolled by the space lbetween the inner edge of the element 26 andthe outer edge of the element I, for these elements are adapted to abutas the element is moved to the right in Fig. 1. Relative motion iin theother direction is controlled by the action of the crimped edge 32 ofthe sleeve 28 abutting against the shoulder v34. The element-28 may befrictionally held in the position shown in Fig. 1, i. e., in a positionadapted to receive -a lcigarette IS, by rotating the element withrespect to the element i0 so as to .cause the detents 39 to engage theIcam surfaces 24, whereby a jamming action may be effected between thedetents and the cam surfaces and the crimped portion 32 and the shoulder34.

If the elements I0, I2 and 26 are formed of a molded plastic material,and the element 28 is formed of metal, the element 28 may be crimpedinto engagement with the element 26 and the edge 32 may be crimped asshown in Fig. 1 after the elements have been assembled.

It will be apparent from a description of the device that when acigarette has been smoked and the user desires to eject the butt, theelement 28 may be grasped, as for example by the knurled portion 36, androtated until the detents 30 lie in the grooves 22. rIjhe element 26 maythen be forced inwardly, i.e., to the right in Figs. 1 and 2, and thelter i4 will serve as a plunger to eject the stub of the smokedcigarette.

A modified form of the invention is shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. In thisform of the invention the main body portion 40 of the holder, i. e., theportion adapted to contain the iilter cartridge, may be formed at itsouter end with a grooved protrusion 42, the groove 44 taking the form ofa relatively sharply pitched spiral. The element 46 adapted to hold thecigarette to be smoked may be provided with an internal thread 48adapted to seat in the groove 42 and, where the element 46 is made of amolded plastic materialy the thread may be molded integrally therewith.An encircling clip 5U adapted to be crimped on to the element 46 may beprovided so as to provide an abutment portion 52 adapted to engage thesurface 54 of the protrusion 42 and thus prevent the element 46 frombeing detached from the element 40. With such a construction, theelement 46 is free to move between the position shown in Fig. 3 and theposition shown in Fig. 4, and this motion may be accomplished by arotary motion of the element 46 with reference to the element 40. In theposition shown in Fig. 3, the holder is adapted to receive and hold acigarette to be smoked, While in the position shown in Fig. 4, the stubof such cigarette will be ejected from the holder by the action of thefilter cartridge.

A still further modication of the invention is shown in Figs. 6 and 7.In this form of the invention, the butt portion of the holder 60 may beformed, as shown in Fig. 7, with a protrusion 62 near its outer end, andthis protrusion may be slotted, as at 64, for the reception of alug ordetent 66 in the manner hereinafter to be described. The slot 64 may beso shaped as to provide a cam surface 68 against which the detent 66 maybear. The portion of the device adapted to hold the cigarette to beconsumed, l. e., the element 10, may be adapted to completely surroundthe element 60 and the protrusion 62 at the outer end thereof. Theelement 16 may be provided with an internal sleeve '12, which may be ofmetal and may be snapped into place, as shown in Fig. 6. This sleeve mayin turn carry one or more lugs or detents 66 adapted to engage thegroove or grooves 64 in the manner heretofore described.

It will be apparent that the device, when in the position shown in Fig.6, is adapted to receive and hold a cigarette to be smoked, and that thestub or butt thereof may be ejected from the device by a rotary motionof the element 'l0 with respect to the element 66, and then a motiontoward the right of the element 10, as soon as the detents 66 haveentered the grooves 64. In this form of the device, the extent ofrelative motion of the element 'l0 with respect to the element 60 iscontrolled by the abutment of the detents 66 against the outer wall ofthe slot 64 and in the other d1'- rection the abutment of the surface 14of the element 10 against the outer edge of the element 60.

The forms of the device described may be readily manufactured andassembled at little cost. While Bakelite or other molded plasticmaterial has been specified as the preferred material for use in theformation o-f the device, with added metallic sleeves, it is to beunderstood that other materials may be employed. The device may be madeof horn or bone or wood, or any suitable material.

It will also be understood that if an unused cigarette is not employedas the filter cartridge I4, but if in lieu thereof some other form offilter cartridge is employed, the form of the device may be modified soas to adapt it for use in the manner heretofore described with suchmodified form of filter cartridge.

Since certain changes may be made in the above article and differentembodiments of the invention could be made without departing from thescope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the abovedescription or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted asillustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended tocover all of the generic and specific features of the invention hereindescribed, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as amatter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

l. In a cigarette holder of the character described, in combination, amouthpiece, a body element providing a chamber for the reception of afilter cartridge, an element shaped and positioned to hold a cigarette,said last-mentioned element being slidably mounted in engagement withsaid body element, one of said elements other than said mouthpiece beingprovided with a surface and with means forming a groove and the other ofsaid elements being provided with projecting means adapted to engagesaid groove and provided with a surface, said surfaces being in contactwhen said holder is arranged to retain a cigarette, and said surfacesand said projecting means being positioned to exert a tension on saidcigarette-holding element between said surface thereof and saidprojecting means thereof whereby said cigarette-holding elementpositively grips said body element.

2. In a cigarette holder of the character described, in combination, amouthpiece, a body element providing a chamber for the reception of alter cartridge, and an element shaped and positioned to hold acigarette, said last-mentioned element being slidably mounted inengagement with said body element, one of said elements other than saidmouthpiece being provided with means forming a groove, and the other ofsaid elements being provided with projecting means adapted to engagesaid groove, said groove comprising a portion substantially parallel tothe axis of said body element and a portion forming a cam surface at anangle to said first-mentioned portion, said cigarette-holding elementhaving an annular surface, said body element having an annular surfacepositioned between said projecting means and the annular surface on saidcigarette-holding element, said surface of the cigarette-holding elementseating down over and against said surface of said body element whensaid holder is retaining a cigarette whereby said cigarette-holdingelement is under tension between its projecting means and its annularsurface whereby the cigarette-holding element positively grips the bodyelement.

FFORD BURCHELL.

